This disclosure relates generally to monitoring debris and, more particularly, to detecting debris, such as volcanic ash, within a gas turbine engine and turbomachinery.
Gas turbine engines include a compressor section, a combustor section, and a turbine section, and may include a fan section. Gas turbines generally use turbomachine implementations of compressor, turbines, and fans. Such engines may be arranged mechanically such that the compressor and turbine sections are split into one or more subsections which are mechanically interconnected in various arrangements. These subsections are often denoted as spools. Engines commonly consist of one, two, or three spools, although more are possible. When used for aircraft propulsion, these engines may employ a geared architecture connecting the fan section and the turbine section. Gas turbine engines are commonly used to propel aircraft, power ground and sea vehicles, and to generate power.
Aircraft operate in various environments. Some environments include debris, such as volcanic ash, dust, and sand. Debris can undesirably accelerate wear and erosion of the aircraft components, including components of the gas turbine engine. This wear can decrease engine efficiency. Some types of debris such as volcanic ash can clog internal passages in an engine so as to accelerate wear and damage, decrease power output, and even stop operation. The aircraft may be moved away from debris when debris is detected. Some debris, such as clouds of volcanic ash at night or ash embedded in clouds, may be difficult to detect. In some cases, there may be a pressing need to operate in the vicinity of such debris, but in general it is safer to avoid operating in known regions of high debris concentration.
Current ash detection methods rely on pilot observations such as visual identification, smells, and cockpit instrument fluctuations. Concerns with existing detection approaches include missed alarms and late alarms.